What to know ahead of Artemis II's planned launch

NASA is launching Artemis II, its first crewed lunar mission in over five decades, on Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight marks a major milestone in the agency's effort to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a foundation for sustained lunar exploration. Artemis II will carry a crew in orbit around the Moon—though not landing on the surface—testing life support systems and other hardware critical for future Moon landings. The mission represents a key step in NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface. Success on Artemis II is essential for validating the systems and procedures needed for subsequent crewed lunar missions.